Bhubaneswar, February 6: As many as 55 foreign and 70 domestic tour operators will participate in the 5th Edition of Odisha Travel Bazar (OTB) 2023-24 being organised jointly by Tourism Department and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) from February 7 to February at the Eco Retreat in Konark of Puri district.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the exhibition on via video conferencing.
“Odisha Travel Bazaar will create a platform for promotion of tourist destinations in the State to domestic buyers from India as well as in the international market,” said Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism) Surendra Kumar in a press conference here on Tuesday.
Kumar said, “A total number of 70 domestic tour operators from 27 cities of 18 States like Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal are participating in the event.”
Similarly, 55 tour operators from 16 countries like Belgium, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and Vietnam are participating in the event, said Kumar.
This will help the State Government to establish Odisha as a diverse tourism hub of global standards by pitching a refreshingly new vision of the State, added Kumar.
This three-day Odisha Travel Bazaar will boost the tourism potential of the State. Director, Tourism Department Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav said that this event will focus meetings between tourism fraternity of Odisha with domestic and foreign tour operators followed by familiarization trips to various tourism destinations like Pipili, Raghurajpur, Dhauli, Eco-Retreat at Bhitarkanika and Satakoshia.
J.K. Mohanty, Co-Chairman, FICCI Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Committee and CMD, Swosti Hotels and OTDC Chairman Dr. Lenin Mohanty also addressed the media personnel and spoke on the importance of Odisha Travel Bazaar with regard to providing a platform for interacting with stakeholders of travel and tourism industry from across the globe
The event will also to help the tour operators experience the tourism products of the State thus resulting in efficient marketing of Odisha to the target audience, be it the travel community or the investors, said JK Mohanty.
